Dental engine



G. D. HECK. DENTAL ENGINE. APPLICATlON FILED MAR. H, I20..

1,393,120. 1 Patented 061. 11,1921.

UNITED SSTATES PATENT FLFICE.

GEORGE; D. HECK, 0F PRINCE BAY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE S. S. WHITE DENTAL MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

DENTAL ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 11, 1921.

Application filed March 11, 1920. Serial No. 365,000.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE D. HECK, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Prince Bay, in the county of Richmond, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dental Engines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. I

My invention relates particularly to that class of dental engines in which a swingable tool-carrying arm is held in horizontal position when in use, and maybe released and dropped into a vertical position out of the way of the operator when not in use, and is especially directed to the means for maintaining said arm in its operative position.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a dental engine with its toolcarrying arm so supported when in its op erative position that it may be grasped, re-

leased and dropped to its inoperative position by one hand of the operator.

Other objects ofmy invention are to provide a dental engine with a detent for bolding its tool-carrying arm in operative position, which is of simplified construction, convenient in its operation, and positive in its action.

The form of my invention as hereinafter described, comprehends a dental engine having a supporting head mounted to rotate upon a vertical axis, aswingable arm'having depending ears embracing said head and pivotedthereto upon ahorizon'tal axis, a pulley carried by said swingablearm arranged to rotate a flexible shaft therein, and a detent comprising an angular member arranged to. engage a suitably formed notch in said head, and yieldingly forced into operative engagement therewith, and having a thumb-piece extended substantially parallel with said swingable arm, so that the operator may be the movements of one hand contemporaneously engage said arm, and release said detent, and swing the arm into its inoperative position.

My invention also includes all of the various novel features of construction and arrangement as hereinafter more definitely specified.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a, side elevational view of that portion of the, dental, engine including a fragment of the supporting standard, the swingable tool-carrying arm in its operative position and the pivotal connection therebetween, a portion being broken away andshown in section for convenience of illustration; Fig. 2 isa transverse sectional view of the structure shown in Fig. 1 taken on the line 22 in said figure; Fig. 3'is a sectional view of the hinge joint taken on the line 33 in Fig. 1; Fig- 4: is a side elevational view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the tool-carrying arm in its inoperative position; and Fig. 5 is a sectional elevational view of a modified formof the engine shown in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive.

In said figures, the head 1 having thesubstantially flat upwardly and forwardly extending bearing lug 2 forming a support, is provided with a shank 3 arranged to extend into the hollow standard 4;, by which it is rotatably supported for oscillation upon a vertical axis. Said head 1 is arranged to hingedly support the tool-carrying arm 5 through which a tool-operating flexible shaft (not shown) but of well known construction may be rotated by the driving belt 6 passing over'the pulley 7.

The tool-carrying arm5 is provided with a oollar9 having depending ears 10 and 11 arranged to embrace or straddle the lug 2 to which it is hingedly' engaged by the pintle 12, forming an axis about which the arm 5 maybe oscillated to and from its operative position. The ears 10 and 11 are connected forwardly beneath the arm 5 by the wall 13 to form a pocket 15, having the opening 17 in said wall disposed slightly below said arm.

The tool-carrying arm 5 is arranged to be retained in its operative position with its axis disposed horizontally by the detent comprising a strip of sheet metal terminating in oppositely extending members, re-

spectively forming the thumb-piece 20 and I the bearing lug 2 on the head 1- to hold the tool-carrying arm 5 in its horizontal or operative position.

The tang 21 of said detent is arranged to be forced into said notch 23 by the spring 24, which is disposed in and tends to project from a suitably formed recess 25. in the wall 13, and the thumb-piece 20 of said detent is so related to the tool-carrying arm 5 that when the operator grasps said arm 5 to drop it to its inoperative position, he may with the thumb of the same hand contemporaneously press the projecting free end comprising the thumbpiece 20 of the detent toward said arm and thereby force the body portion 22 in opposition to the spring 24 to release the tang 21 from said notch 28.

Said detent is arranged to be loosely supported in the pocket 15 by the plate 26 which is secured to the upper wall of said pocket with its forward edge engaging said detent, by the set-screw 27 whose head 28 extends into the path of the notch or shoulder 29 in the periphery of the bearing lug 2 on the head 1. It will be obvious, as shown in Fig. 1, that the engagement of said head 28 against the shoulder 29 limlts the upward movement of the arm 5.

As best shown in Fig. 2, the pintle 12 extends laterally beyond the limits of the belt 6, and serves to hold the belt taut when the arm 5 is swung to its inoperative position, as shown in Fig. 4. Said pintle comprises the complementary headed pins 30 and 31,

' respectively having female and male threaded shanks 32 and 33 cooperatively engaged to form the shaft upon which the arm 5 may be oscillated, said pins being provided with flanges 34 and 35 respectively engaging the outer surfaces of the ears 10 and 11. V

In the form of my invention illustrated in Fig. 5, the detent 36 is loosely mounted to rock on the pintle 37 between the ears 38 which depend from the collar 39, and said detent 36 is maintained in position on said pintle by the plate 40 removably engaged with said collar 39 by the set screw 41.

The notch engaging tang 42 of the detent 36 is arranged to be pressed into engagement with the notch 43 in the bearing lug 44, by the spring 45 which is disposed in and tends to project from a suitably formedrecess 47 in the collar 39 and to bear against the thumb-piece 46 of said detent.

It will be obvious that a detent constructed in accordance with my invention is highly advantageous in that the tool-carrying arm may be released by the thumb of the hand of the operator in grasping said arm to drop it to its inoperative position, thus leaving the other hand of the operator free.

I do not desire to limit my invention to the precise details of construction and arrangement as herein set forth, as it is obvious that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the essential features of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. A dental engine having a tool-carrying arm, a supporting head having a transverse member, upon which said arm is oscillatably mounted, and a detent loosely rested to teeter on said member and arranged to hold said arm in its operative position, and having means extended forwardly with said arm to effect its release.

2. A dental engine having a tool-carrying arm, a supporting notched head upon which said arm is oscillatably mounted, and a detent arranged to hold said arm in its operative position, formed of sheet material bent to provide oppositely extended projecting members disposed substantially normal to its intermediate portion, one extending forwardly in proximity to said arm, and the other being arranged to engage a notch in said head. s

3. A dental engine having a tool-carrying arm, a supporting notched head upon which said arm is oscillatably mounted, and a detent arranged to hold said arm in its operative position, formed of sheet material bent to provide oppositely extended projecting members disposed substantially normal to its intermediate portion, one extending forwardly in proximity to, said arm, and the other being arranged to engage a notch in said head, and means tending to yieldingly engage said detent with said head.

4. A dental engine comprising a notched supporting head, a'tool-carrying arm hingedly engaged with said head by depending ears joined by a forwardly disposed depending wall, provided with an opening, and forming a pocket, a detent disposed in said pocket, and terminating in oppositely ex,- tended projecting members, respectively'extending through said opening, forwardly with said arm and rearwardly into engagement with saidhead, removable means arranged to retain said detent in said pocket, and yielding means tending to force the rearwardly directed projection into engagement with thenotch in said head.

5, In a dental engine, the combination with ahead having a notched bearing lug provided with an aperture, an voscillatable tool-carrying arm, a supporting collar for sa d arm'having depending ears embracing said supporting lug, and having apertures alined' with the aperture in said lug, a pulley rotatably mounted on said arm arranged to carry a belt, a pintle extended through said apertures, hingedly engaging said arm and head, and projecting laterally beyond the limits of said belt and affording a support therefor, a detent loosely carried between jsald ears, and arranged to engage the notch in said lug, means for retaining said detent in its operative position, and a spring tending to force said detent into engagement with said notch.

6. In a dental engine, the combination with a supporting head having a notched bearing lug provided with an aperture, an oscillatable tool-carrying arm having depending ears embracing said bearing lug, and having apertures alined with the aperture in said lug, said ears being joined forwardly to form a pocket whose forward wall is provided with an opening, a pulley rotatably mounted on said arm, carrying a belt, a pintle extended through the apertures in said lug and ears, and projecting laterally beyond the limits of said belt, and comprising a headed pin provided with a hollow shank extending through said apertures and having a flange engaging one of said ears, and a complementary headed pin provided with a stud in threaded engagement with said hollow shank, and having a flange engaging the other of said ears, a detent engaged in said pocket and having its opposite ends extended substantially normal to its intermediate portion with one of its projecting ends extended through said opening, and the other directed toward the periphery of said head, a spring tending to engage said detent with a notch in the periphery of said head, a detachable plate disposed in said pocket and arranged to retain said detent in its operative position, and a screw engaging said plate in said pocket and arranged to engage a notch on said head.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 4th day of March, A. D., 1920.

GEORGE D. HECK.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM H. DAVID, HAROLD E. TRENT. 

